The Platform
by TimeToWriteIsHistory
Summary: Friendship is strong. It is a rock base upon which everything can be piled. And sometimes, it is strong enough to grow into something more.


**I promised that this story would be out by the end of two different weekends to two different people. I finally finished it, and even though it's technically Monday and I have to be up in 5 hours, here it is. This story went through several re-writes because I was incredibly unhappy with Victoire's character, but I think it's okay now. I hope you enjoy they story, and please review. Praise makes me happy, and critique makes me write better, so any comments you leave are great.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story that belongs to the Harry Potter universe.**

Teddy Lupin leaned against a brick pillar on Platform 9 ¾ and observed the group of people he was facing. The Potter and the Weasleys stood together, the trademark red hair pocked with black, brown, and blond. He saw his godfather, Harry, talking with his wife, Ginny, and his lifetime friend, Ron. Ginny was standing next to Harry and holding Lily, who was complaining that she still had to wait two more years to go to Hogwarts. At nine years old, Lily was still small enough to be picked up and help against someone's hip, or on someone's back. Teddy smiled, thinking about how Lily loved to ride on his back. He had never left a Potter or Weasley household without at least one request for a ride. He supposed it came with the role of oldest "child" in the extended family, a role he did not mind and rather loved.

He understood how lucky he was to have the family he was watching. He was not their child, but Harry and Ginny treated him as such. He never forgot his true parents, but Ginny and Harry were as much his mother and father as Mrs. Weasley was his grandmother. His biological grandmother was there for him too, but he never had a connection with her as he had with the people currently surrounding him.

Hermione suddenly appeared at Ron's side and latched an arm around his waist. Her head came up to Ron's shoulder, and she looked up at him and smiled when he ran his fingers through her bushy brown hair. Hugo had come with Hermione, and when Ginny let Lily down, the two children walked a few paces away from their parents and leaned towards each other, whispering about some unknown topic.

Teddy observed Ron and Hermione as they conversed with Harry and Ginny. It was very obvious that both couples were deeply in love, but while Harry and Ginny kept most displays of affection far from the public eye, Ron and Hermione never held back. They held hands, hugged, and even kissed in public, and sometimes the kissing stopped just short of groping. Also, Teddy knew that once in a while they forgot to put up silencing charms. Teddy chuckled as he remembered Rose and Hugo's faces the day he had received that knowledge. Many people were endeared by Ron and Hermione's behavior, but the two siblings were disgusted by it. However, Teddy liked how open and in love they were. He thought his parents might have been like that if they had survived the second war, and it gave him hope for the future, hope that he would be with someone he loved someday.

Speaking of love…

Teddy shifted his attention to a young woman with blonde hair and freckles. She was standing with a much older woman with the same shade of blonde hair, and a man with the same distinguishable freckles: her parents.

Victoire Weasley was entering her 7th year at Hogwarts. Teddy thought that the experience of a year apart from his best friend prepared him for saying goodbye for another year away from her, but he still felt a pang at the thought of not seeing her almost every day.

Victoire noticed Teddy looking in her direction and waved. Bill gave him a nod and Fleur smiled warmly. Both parents liked him, but Teddy could tell Bill really wished his oldest daughter's best friend was female.

Teddy watched as Victoire said goodbye to her parents and came over to him. The two teenagers moved behind the pillar, losing sight of all people on the platform.

"They're gone. They already said goodbye to Louis, and Dominique got onto the train when we first got here, like always." Victoire snorted at her sister's behavior.

Victoire stopped in front of Teddy so she was looking directly at him. She always liked to make eye contact when talking. Teddy loved this quirk of hers, but he always had trouble concentrating on what she was saying. She had bright, ice blue eyes. He often found himself thinking about those rather than the words coming out of her mouth.

"I can't believe I'm a 7th year." Victoire has a dazed look on her face.

"Yeah, I don't know how you got there either. I did always say your magic was a few years behind," Teddy teased, grinning.

Victoire lightly slapped his arm, but instead of smiling like she normally did when Teddy teased her, or teasing him right back, she suddenly pulled him close and hugged him tightly. Teddy was startled at this change in demeanor. Last year, they had joked up until the train left the platform, never really saying goodbye. Their frequent letters simply continued the conversation.

Victoire was not a sentimental person. She did not cry, she did not hug very often, and Teddy did not think he had ever heard her say, "I love you," to anyone, not even her parents. The most Teddy had gotten from Victoire was an arm around his waist, which was what constituted a hug for her.

Therefore, a full-blown embrace from the girl in front of him had shocked him thoroughly.

He hesitated, unsure of what to do with an emotional Victoire. Eventually, Teddy wrapped his arms around her and tentatively stroked her hair, something he had seen Ginny do to Lily when she was trying to get Lily to stop crying.

Luckily, Victoire wasn't crying. He was already sure the world was a mess today, but a crying Victoire would have meant a global catastrophe.

He bent his head down to whisper in her ear. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He heard a sniffle and froze. Sniffles meant tears were close. Teddy gathered up his courage and plunged on, determined to find out what had caused this dramatic change in his best friend.

"You weren't like this last year."

"Last year was different." Her muffled voice reverberated against his chest.

"How?" Now that she mentioned it, he could feel it too. He didn't know why it was different though, and he thought maybe Victoire had a unique perspective on this issue. Maybe it was because she was almost an adult too, almost caught up with Teddy.

Victoire drew a shaky breath and said one sentence, simply, in monotone. "This year you're out in the field."

Understanding sunk into Teddy as he felt the front of his shirt begin to absorb Victoire's tears.

"Listen. Vic, listen to me."

Teddy straightened his back as Victoire's face detached from his shirt. He could see the tear tracks on her pale ivory skin, and suddenly noticed the signs of sleep troubles in her eyes. He mentally berated himself for not noticing earlier. She must have been worrying all summer.

"Yes, being an Auror is dangerous. But you know that I'm good. I got top marks in training, I didn't get injured, and Harry is going to be out there with me. Harry is so over-protective that I bet I'm going to get the tamest cases anyway." Teddy grinned, trying to get her to see that he would be fine.

Victoire smiled, but tears still welled in her eyes.

"But what if you _do_ get hurt? I can't have you… I can't… You can't… You can't d-"

"I'm not going to die." Teddy said firmly. "An Auror hasn't died in the field in years. Plus, didn't I just spend two minutes explaining how I won't get hurt because I am completely and totally awesome?" Teddy let go of her to strike a ridiculous pose and jokingly smirk.

Victoire gave him a shaky laugh.

"Okay, you won't get hurt. But what if you find new friends?"

"What do you mean?" Teddy's confusion was obvious.

"What if you replace me?" Victoire looked away from Teddy and whispered. Victoire never looked away from Teddy when she was talking to him. Even when she was embarrassed, she kept eye contact. It unsettled Teddy to realize just how scared of this she was. "I don't want to lose my best friend."

He couldn't believe she was thinking this.

Teddy grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly, making her look him in the eyes.

"Vic, we've spent a year apart before, and you were still my best friend after that." He frowned, wondering why in the world she would think anything would change that.

"But this year you're in the field," She said adamantly, seeming to think this was an adequate reason, and the only explanation needed.

Teddy laughed before he could stop himself. There was the Weasley stubbornness showing itself, but there was still all of that uncharacteristic insecurity hiding underneath. He had no idea where that had come from.

He quickly became serious. "Victoire Weasley. You have been my best friend since the day you were born. No one could ever replace you. You know that. You also know that being in the field is just as time consuming, if not more, as training. I won't have time for much other than sleep, meals, and work. I definitely know you know that. What is this really about?"

He watched Victoire as she shuffled her feet. He loved this girl more than anyone in the entire world. It hadn't always been that way, but it was now. He never hoped for his feelings to be returned, and was just happy having her in his life. He never wanted to lose her, and he really, truly couldn't figure out why she thought she would lose him. They had been a pair their entire lives, and many of the Weasley and Potter adults compared them to Fred and George (without the pranking, though).

Abruptly, Victoire stilled. Her shoulders tensed, and Teddy saw her hands clench into fists. He recognized those signs as her drawing strength, and it was a mystery to him why she needed strength.

Victoire looked up and met his gaze. He took a sharp breath as he distinguished the determination in her frosty sapphire eyes. He thought back to all of the precious moments he had had with the fiery girl before him.

_Chasing her around the backyard at the backyard at the Burrow when she was five and he was seven. He accidentally pushed her down and when he tried to help her get back up, she pulled him down. They laughed for a long time after that._

_The day before he went to Hogwarts his first year. Swinging on the Muggle swing set her grandfather had built. Never saying goodbye, but enjoying the sunset together in silence. They spent the day before the train left the platform the same way every year after that first time._

_Getting news of Victoire's Hogwarts' acceptance letter arrival. He could feel her excitement jump off the parchment her letter was written on. He wrote back mere moments later, exhilarated that_ finally_, his best friend would be with him at Hogwarts._

_The train ride her first year at Hogwarts. The two of them sat in their own compartment, looking out the window and stealing looks at one another when they thought the other wasn't paying attention. They grinned and laughed every time they caught each other._

_Victoire getting sorted into his house. He had never seen a bigger smile on her face, and when she rushed over to him, he had never felt happier. She sat down and grabbed his hand, squeezing it, maybe trying to transfer all of the joy she felt to him, so that they could share the happiness._

_Teddy's fourth year. He found the memorial corridor and spent hours looking at the stones inscribed with his parents' names. After many days of Victoire trying to persuade him to stop going, stop isolating himself, to come back; Victoire found him in the hallway and sat with him all day, staring at the stones with him. She held his hand and gave it little squeezes every so often. With each one, Teddy felt happier, and at the end of the day when they left the corridor for dinner, Teddy felt no need to go back._

_Victoire's fourth year. Her first boyfriend. Her first time being dumped. He found her at the top of the Astronomy tower, looking out onto the grounds. He could tell she was upset, but she showed no signs of it. She just stared stoically at the Forbidden Forest. He stood next to her and they watched the sun set. Instead of having dinner in the Great Hall, they went to the kitchens. He joked about insignificant things, and laughter filled the cozy room they ate in._

_Teddy's last year; Victoire's fifth. She was a chaser on the house Quidditch team; he was a keeper. A Bludger had hit her head during the last game of the year. She fell fifty feet, but was saved from more damage by cushioning and levitation charms performed by the professors. Teddy had the reserves go in and he accompanied Victoire to the hospital wing. She had fallen unconscious, and lost a lot of blood. He had never seen her in worse shape. She was going to survive, but Teddy had never been so scared. He couldn't imagine life without her. She had to be okay. He stayed by her bedside for fourteen hours, when she finally woke up. She opened her eyes and he saw strength in those eyes. He knew in that moment that he loved her. She was never just his best friend; she was everything._

Therefore, the words that came out of Victoire's mouth came as much surprise to Teddy.

"I love you," she blurted, the quickness of the words saying uncertainty, but the tone of determination blowing all other doubts away.

He had always thought it had only been him; he had always been okay with it only being him.

"I love you," she said more calmly. "That's why I'm so afraid you'll replace me. You have always been in my life, and I can't image me not being there for you." She paused. "I don't want to not be there for you," she said quietly.

Teddy didn't think, he just knew that the girl that he loved loved him.

He closed the small distance between him and Victoire and gently cupped her face with his hands. He tilted her chin up and closed his eyes and his lips rushed down to hers.

It was short. But simple. And sweet.

It was everything they needed to say but hadn't said.

He placed his arms around Victoire's shoulders and broke the kiss. He heard her sigh. He hadn't opened his eyes yet. He wanted to savor the kiss that he had finally gotten.

He was caught by surprise when he felt arms around his own neck and hands in his hair that pulled him down to her mouth once again. This time the kiss was longer. He had no idea how long the two of them stood there, intertwined in each other. The moment felt timeless.

"Hey! What are you two _doing_?"

Teddy popped an eye open and saw James Potter standing in front of them with his mouth open.

He broke the kiss reluctantly and moved Victoire so she was standing next to him. He kept an arm around her shoulder.

"You haven't seen someone kiss before?" Teddy raised an eyebrow and smirked, bemused.

"Well- yeah- I have," James spluttered. "But you're Teddy. And Victoire."

"And you're James," Victoire chimed in, laughing at the boy's attitude towards the two of them.

"You can't be kissing!" James burst out, still gaping at the two teenagers in front of him.

"Want to bet?" Teddy's smirk became more pronounced and he pulled Victoire into dip, catching the twinkle in her eyes before he kissed her again.

"Mum! Dad!" Teddy faintly heard James yelling.

Teddy pulled Victoire back up and Victoire giggled, intoxicated by happiness.

"So let's get this straight," Victoire started once calmed down.

Teddy cut in. "I love you."

Victoire beamed and hugged him, nestling her head into his chest. "I love you too."

All too soon they heard the signal for boarding. They walked hand in hand to the train door, and stopped before the steps. They both closed their eyes, and rested their foreheads against each other's. "I love you," Teddy softly said. He grinned and then kissed her one last time before he quickly shoved her onto the train. He stepped back as the train began to pull out of the station. Victoire's head popped out of the window of the compartment right next to the door.

"Teddy!" she yelled, only half-angry.

"I love you!" he yelled back, laughing. He couldn't say it enough times.

The train left his line of sight, but the smile remained on his face. He loved Victoire Weasley. He couldn't wait to see her again. Maybe he could figure out a way to get into Hogsmeade on the first Hogwarts weekend. He began to make plans.

As he moved to leave the platform, an owl swooped in from the direction the train had been headed. It stopped in front of him.

Teddy gently took the small piece of parchment attached to the owl's leg and unrolled it.

_I love you too._


End file.
